ABigDumbOgre's Alternate Art Starter Deck Index

1. Project Premise

2. Deck Summaries

3. Deck Links

Alternate Art Starter Deck Index link

1. Project Premise

In October 2021, Fantasy Flight Games announced they would be releasing a Revised Core Set for Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. In that announcement, FFG mentioned that other products would be getting a revised release, and in the months following it became clear what would be released in the repackaged format: three full Cycles, the Lord of the Rings Saga, and four Starter Decks. The purpose of the four starter decks was a "next step" for players to pick up after the Revised Core. These Starter Decks included cards that were almost entirely from cycles that would not be getting a repackaged release, and for many people will be their only exposure to cards from those Cycles.

The way I see it, the official Starter Decks filled three roles. 1) They provide cards that are not otherwise part of the revised content. 2) They are playable right out of the packaging with fun deckbuilding options in the sideboard. 3) They are very thematic.

AutumnRose has been making Alternate Art cards for LotR LCG for a long time, but as a newer player myself my first "real" exposure to her work was the incredible Alternate Art Starter Decks that she put together. In June of 2023 Autumn released Flight to the Ford, followed by Where the Stars are Strange in November of that same year. I was blown away by those decks; I couldn't believe she was able to construct two decks that worked so well thematically, and functioned as playable and enjoyable decks as-is. Using them on DragnCards planted a seed in my head: why not try making a starter deck of my own?

My first alternate art starter deck Root and Twig was released in December 2023, followed up by Dear to Manwë in January 2024. I was satisfied with both, and largely forgot alternate art cards entirely over the first half of 2024, until I was reading through messages in the CotR Discord about how RCO players were missing so many great cards. The users mentioned how they appreciated the alternate art starter decks as a way for them to pick up those missing cards, and enjoyed using the decks as well. Reading those messages made me think...what if I was able to include every card in an alternate art starter deck? How many decks would I even need to pull that off? Could I keep those decks thematic, yet playable?

Those questions swirled, challenging me to find a solution to those problems. It took a few revisions and some back and forth with some helpful and patient people (AutumnRose and CoffeeUrbana/LordOfLórien in particular) but I arrived at a solution: eleven functional decks and one "booster" deck that, when combined with Autumn's work, would result in every card being included in at least one deck. You may have seen them posted on ringsdb over the past few months as I cranked out each deck, trying to complete them before the Doug Beer Group Order went live. This last deck is a place to consolidate all deck links, and provide you with a handy new tool you can use to look through these cards and decks: a Google Sheets Index filled with tabs of tables and information that you can filter and sort to your heart's desire!

Alternate Art Starter Deck Index link

2. Deck Summaries

The Index above includes a summary of each deck and its theme(s), which I have copied here for convenience.

1. Flight to the Ford

Flight to the Ford is focused on Frodo's desperate escape from the Black Riders as he flees towards Rivendell. It includes The One Ring and its relevant attachments and events, many Pipes and their related cards, and many thematically appropriate cards to showcase Frodo's flight.

2. Where the Stars are Strange

Where the Stars are Strange highlights the far-travelers, the exiles, and the drifters of Middle Earth. It includes almost all of the Harad cards as well as the Side Quest the adventures might find themselves in the midst of.

3. Root and Twig

Root and Twig showcases the last march of the ents on Isengard, spurred on by a pair of hobbits. It includes the main cards for Ents and Hobbits, as well as some Doomed events.

4. Dear to Manwë

Dear to Manwë is about the beings of Middle Earth that Manwë holds special care for. It includes almost all of the Eagles cards as well as many of the Noldor cards.

5. A Dark Hour

A Dark Hour is the first hypothetical Starter Deck, asking what would happen if Isengard had not betrayed their oaths and come to the aid of Gondor? It includes all Outlands cards and all Isengard cards, plus some Doomed cards for Saruman to make use of.

6. Tales of the Wild Lands

Tales of the Wild Lands shares the tale of the beings of Middle Earth that make their homes in the wild, as told by Beorn. It includes many Beorning, Woodman, Noldor, and Silvan cards as well as some Songs to reflect the superior way of sharing stories.

7. Masters of Stone

Masters of Stone was constructed to finish what the official Dwarves of Durin deck started by providing all remaining Dwarf cards. All Dwarf characters and dwarf-specific cards that were left out of the revised content are included in this deck, allowing you to complete that archetype.

8. Hope is Born

Hope is Born highlights how the victory at the Battle of Pelargir sparked hope for The Grey Company and its leaders. It includes most Dúnedain cards, a handful of Gondor cards, and the fearless leaders of The Grey Company in Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas.

9. Long and Hopeless Search

Long and Hopeless Search is another deck focused on a hypothetical situation, asking what if Aragorn's hunt for Gollum had taken him into Ithilien? It includes many Rangers who make their home in Ithilien and makes use of Secrecy cards to reflect the nature of Aragorn's search.

10. The White Mountains

The White Mountains celebrates the faithful allies of the Men of the West, Gondor and Rohan. It includes many Gondor and Rohan cards left out of the official Defenders of Gondor and Riders of Rohan decks respectively.

11. Captains of the West

Captains of the West features Men who served as great Captains for their kingdoms. It is a mono- deck that functions best in a combat-focused role in a multiplayer game, but can hold its own in single player.

12. Labours in Dale

Labours in Dale is a third deck based on a hypothetical situation, imagining that Frodo was so inspired by Glóin's tales in Rivendell that he travels to Dale with some fellow hobbits. It includes most of the remaining Hobbit cards that were not included in Root and Twig, and some Dale cards left out of the revised content.

13. The Long List

The Long List was built to show a selection of the beings of Middle Earth as mentioned by Treebeard in his Long List poem. It includes cards with a wide variety of Traits.

14. End of all Things

End of all Things isn't really a functional deck. It includes cards that did not make it into a formal deck for various reasons such as being mono-sphere, multiplayer only, or not having room in an appropriately themed deck.

3. Deck Links

Each deck has been posted to ringsdb, has had high-res images uploaded to flickr, had a project set up on MakePlayingCards, and had MBPrint ready PDF's created. The links to each is below.

1. Flight to the Ford

FttF on Autumn's website | FttF ringsdb | FttF flickr | FttF MPC | FttF MBPrint

2. Where the Stars are Strange

WtSaS on Autumn's website | WtSaS ringsdb | WtSaS flickr | WtSaS MPC | WtSaS MBPrint

3. Root and Twig

RaT ringsdb | RaT flickr | RaT MPC | RaT MBPrint

4. Dear to Manwë

DtM ringsdb | DtM flickr | DtM MPC | DtM MBPrint

5. A Dark Hour

ADH ringsdb | ADH flickr | ADH MPC | ADH MBPrint

6. Tales of the Wild Lands

TotWL ringsdb | TotWL flickr | TotWL MPC | TotWL MBPrint

7. Masters of Stone

MoS ringsdb | MoS flickr | MoS MPC | MoS MBPrint

8. Hope is Born

HiB ringsdb | HiB flickr | HiB MPC | HiB MBPrint

9. Long and Hopeless Search

LaHS ringsdb | LaHS flickr | LaHS MPC | LaHS MBPrint

10. The White Mountains

TWM ringsdb | TWM flickr TWM MPC | TWM MBPrint

11. Captains of the West

CotW ringsdb | CotW flickr | CotW MPC | CotW MBPrint

12. Labours in Dale

LiD ringsdb | LiD flickr | LiD MPC | LiD MBPrint

13. The Long List

TLL ringsdb | TLL flickr | TLL MPC | TLL MBPrint

14. End of all Things

EoaT ringsdb | EoaT flickr | EoaT MPC | EoaT MBPrint